Nathan MacKinnon and Roope Hintz are the first-line centers for two of the best teams in the Western Conference. Between them they carry well over $21 million in cap hits. On Tuesday night in Dallas, with 25 minutes of needling already behind them, they threw their gloves on the ice and started swinging at each other.
It was the first fight of Hintz’s NHL career. It went considerably better for him than for the man opposite.
Hintz landed three or four hard rights, one of them flush on a nose MacKinnon had already damaged earlier this season. Colorado’s best player went straight down the tunnel for facial repairs and was off the bench for more than seven minutes. The loudest noise the American Airlines Center produced all night came as he left, bleeding.
Nobody watching seemed to care who won.
“Two actual stars chuckin’ em is so f***ing great, especially in a rivalry game,” one fan wrote.
“That’s a lot of money throwing hands right now,” another said, while a third admitted: “Wasn’t aware that Hintz was a dawg.”
Others were simply enjoying MacKinnon’s new hobby. “Is Nate fighting once a week this year just for the hell of it?” one asked, with another concluding: “God I love this batshit crazy sport.”
Why did MacKinnon and Hintz fight?
Their last entanglement cost Hintz a season. The two got tangled up in Dallas last March, and the Finn tore his hamstring in the process, missing the remainder of the regular season and the Stars’ six-game first-round exit against Minnesota. He finished the year with 44 points in 53 games.
On Tuesday it started with MacKinnon cross-checking him in the Colorado zone. Hintz swiped back, and that was that.
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MacKinnon, who has now fought twice in Colorado’s opening six games after also squaring off with Brandt Clarke in the home opener, was gracious about it afterwards.
“That’s always really well respected,” MacKinnon said. “You definitely get a little nervous when you fight.”
Tyler Seguin, who set up Hintz’s goal later in the game, approved with reservations.
“Don’t want him to fight too much, but it’s cool to see tonight,” Seguin said.
The scoreboard went Colorado’s way regardless. Martin Necas scored twice, MacKinnon added two assists to reach 12 points in six games, and the Avalanche won 3-2. The two teams meet again at Ball Arena on Wednesday night.
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